After The Cold War Between China And The United States Aid To Africa, A Comparative Study

Africa has been play an important role in China foreign strategy, aiding to Africa is a significant way in developing China-Africa relations, promoting China's soft power and building a harmonious world. Although Africa is not the core in American international strategy, its strategic importance is increasing day by day. Aiding to Africa is an important tool to pursue the objectives of U.S.'s Africa policy and it is a way to remodel U.S.'s soft power. U.S.'s aiding policy to Africa has an important influence on African and other aid countries. U.S. is paying attention to China's aid to Africa increasingly, and evaluating China's rising influence in Africa which would have an impact upon American. China and the U.S. is encountering in African, aid will become important areas of competition and cooperation. For China, U.S.'s aiding policy to Africa is especially worth concerning and researching.At present, researches on China or U.S. aid to Africa have obtained some achievements at home and abroad, but it still lack of systematic comparison of China-U.S. foreign aid to Africa, there have some misunderstandings exist in both domestic and international. In order to contribute to remedy these defects, based on taking example of the existing research results, this paper compared the differences and similarities in China-U.S. aiding to Africa objectively, summed up the advantages and disadvantages of both, and tried to put forward beneficial recommendations to improve the level of China aiding to African. The main research methods are Marxist historical analysis and dialectical analysis method, and the comparison analysis, case analysis, statistical analysis as well as other methods were be used comprehensive.The introduction of this paper mainly expounded the significance of this topic, summarized the study situation at home and abroad, made certain the definition of the foreign aid which this paper adopted, and so on. In addition, the introduction introduced the research methods and the innovations of this paper in brief. The text has six chapters in addition to the introduction.The first chapter briefly reviewed the history of China-U.S. aiding to Africa during the Cold-war. The focuses are the adjustment and development process of China-U.S.'s aiding policy to Africa under the changed background in domestic and international after the Cold-war. It analyzed the causes, and summarized the characteristics of China-U.S.'s aiding policy to Africa at every stage.The second chapter mainly expounds the culture sources of ideas in China-U.S. aiding to Africa. The concepts of China aiding to Africa are mainly embodied in the principles which formulated by various policy documents in years go by. It used the"He he"culture of the China traditional culture as the kernel spirit, deeply influenced by the internationalism principles, developed aiding new idea of developing together by mutual benefit. The U.S.'s aid to Africa always has additional conditions on political, economic, and values. It reflects the special culture sources in ideas of U.S.'s aid to Africa, that is Christian religious culture tradition, the sense of"god's chosen people"and"Manifest Destiny", these have embodied as important components of culture kernel in American's realism and idealistic foreign traditional. Furthermore, African Americans are dual influenced by American and Africa culture. Along with their status ascending in political and economic, the effects of dual culture are also reflecting increasingly. The chapter also systematically compared the targets of China-U.S. aiding to Africa from the political, economic and international morality three aspects. There have much in common, and have big differences.The third chapter focused on comparing emphasis which China-U.S. aiding to different regions of Africa. In comparison: The factors which determine the relationship can be developed normally between China and African countries are whether adhering to the one-china principle on the Taiwan issue and whether be friendly towards China, it also determines to a large extent whether China's aid can be implement coherently. On the one hand, China attaches great importance to use foreign aid to advance economic and trade relationship with African countries, on the other hand, the level of economic development and actual need of recipients are also taken into consideration of aiding. Based on persisting in the principle of"non-interference in internal affairs"and"never attached any political conditions", China's assistance emphasizing in development aid projects such as infrastructure construction, culture, education, etc, which have close relationship with people's livelihood. These reflect that China's aid has larger altruism. Whether recipients have important value in security, economic and energy is the decisive factor which America selects the key recipients. The United States attach importance to use aid to promote the democratic and liberal reform in recipients, but it pay more attention to whether recipient is"pro-American"and this is the significant evidences to U.S. in increasing or cutting aid. The level of economic development and actual need of recipients are not be factored necessarily in U.S. aid. The United States tends much more to implement humanitarian food aid and health medical assistance which can appear effects in the short term. These reflect that U.S.'s aid has larger egoism.The fourth chapter basically comparatively analyzed China-U.S. aiding to Africa from the mechanism, channels and other countries'estimates, etc. There are more differences in mechanism and channels between China and U.S. aiding to Africa. It found that most Africans have positive view to both China and America after comparing other countries'especially African countries'evaluation on China-U.S. aiding to Africa. Even though the absolute number of U.S.'s aid to Africa is far more than China's, but proportion that Africans have good impression to China is higher than to America, China's aid won general recognition of the African people by pursuing the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and paying attention to the infrastructure construction. The evaluation which comes from United States is tending to comprehensive and positive on China's aid to African. Chapter five selected Sudan as a case study. It specific analyzed the history of China-U.S. aid to Sudan, the similarities and differences of aid targets, and discussed the trend of China-U.S.'s aid after south Sudan's independence.In above of comparatively analyzed China-U.S. aid to Africa, the sixth chapter basically raised some thinking about improving the level of China aid to Africa. First, it summarized the advantages and disadvantages of China-U.S. aid to Africa. Secondly, it analyzed the possible dialogue and cooperation in the field of China-U.S. aid to Africa. The dialogue and cooperation is important in the field of China-U.S. aid to Africa, the following measures can be adopted: encourage dialogue and exchange in the field of aid to Africa at unofficial levels; Promote the official communication developing from the lower level to the higher; Establish China-U.S. joint committee and the working group in aiding to Africa; Invite related African recipient to participate at the right time. To develop the dialogue and cooperation in the field of China-U.S. aid to Africa can start trying from these two issues– humanitarian assistance and medical aid. The dialogue and cooperation in the field of China-U.S. aid to Africa is still a kind of conceive, China will also face many problems, such as the agencies of China-U.S. aid to Africa are not match in dialogue and cooperation, the effects of domestic political in America and how would China grasp the right to speak, etc. Finally, this chapter put forward some suggestions to elevate the level of China aid to Africa: first, China's mechanism of foreign aid should be improvement gradually, second, China's media should pay more attention to the field of aiding to Africa, third, China should do well in prospective investigation analysis work about African countries'development, fourth, China should also encourage constructors of aiding to Africa communicate with local to enhance mutual trust.